Ron Howard has been famous for nearly all of his 70 years. This big name in Hollywood has been working hard in movies and TV since he was just a little kid.
Besides having a really amazing career, this award-winning person has also shown that he can have a long-lasting personal life. He has been happily married to his wife Cheryl for nearly fifty years.
Continue reading to discover more about Howard, his long career, and his marriage that has lasted for many years!
Ronald Howard, who would later become a famous Hollywood star, was born on March 1, 1954, in Duncan, Oklahoma.
Howard started his acting career really young! He was just 18 months old when he was in his first movie called Frontier Woman. Then, when he turned two, he performed on stage for the first time in a play called The Seven Year Itch.
Not long after the red-haired kid with freckles began his rise to fame on The Andy Griffith Show, which aired from 1960 to 1968, he started his journey as a celebrity.
During this time, when the young boy played Opie, who is the son of Griffith’s character, Howard had the complete backing of his parents, both of whom worked in the entertainment field.
“You know how we used to say, ‘You can try if you want, but it’s totally up to you?’ Well, if you begin this, there’s no backing out,” Howard said, thinking back to a talk he had with his parents many years ago. “You don’t have to participate in other shows if you don’t feel like it, but you have to stick with this one.”
Howard explains that he got the message from his parents, saying, “At that moment, it was obvious that I was having fun and doing well at it.”
Actually, he was great at it, and he was about to reach a level of stratospheric stardom.
Howard’s ‘Happy Days’
While he was acting in The Andy Griffith Show, Howard also made a movie appearance in 1962’s The Music Man, which turned out to be a big hit at the box office.
He had a natural gift for acting and became famous in the 1973 movie American Graffiti. This film also featured stars like Harrison Ford, Richard Dreyfuss, and Cindy Williams, who he would later work with again.
In 1974, he got the role of Richie Cunningham in a new show made by Garry Marshall called Happy Days. This show was on TV for everyone to watch from 1974 until 1984.
The TV show led to some well-known spin-offs, including Laverne & Shirley, which featured Penny Marshall, who is the sister of one of the main stars, and Mork & Mindy, where Robin Williams played Mork, the beloved Orkan.
High school sweetheart
In 1970, before he got a Golden Globe for playing the sweet teenager on Happy Days, Howard met his high school girlfriend, Cheryl Alley, and they ended up getting married in 1975.
I met her, and she was the only one for me. The director of the Da Vinci Code shared with People, “She’s incredibly supportive and has always been there for me. We’ve stayed compatible through all sorts of experiences.”
Howard, who won an Oscar for directing A Beautiful Mind, celebrated 50 years of memories with Cheryl by posting about their first date anniversary on Instagram.
On November 1, 1970, I had my first date with Cheryl, he shared with a picture of him in socks that had Cheryl’s face on them. “We watched a re-release of Stanley Kramer’s It’s a Mad Mad Mad World and then grabbed some pizza at Barnone’s, which isn’t around anymore, in Toluca Lake. What a memorable beginning, huh?”
He talked about their plans for the day, saying, “We’re going to drive the same ‘70 VW Bug that I used to pick up Cheryl 50 years ago. It’s in awesome shape, just like us!”
His ‘good luck charm’
Cheryl appeared in a bunch of Howard’s projects and even played herself in the TV comedy show Arrested Development, which Howard produced and narrated.
In an interview with the Television Academy, Ron referred to Cheryl as his “good luck charm” and shared that’s the reason she is in all of his movies.
At one time, I got really superstitious about making sure she shows up, like I need to see her in at least one scene, he explained. “They don’t have to be huge appearances, but she has to be included.”
Besides giving her husband a bit of good luck, Cheryl is a published writer. She has a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in screenwriting.
The famous couple has six grandkids and four kids of their own: a daughter named Bryce, twin daughters Paige and Jocelyn, and a son named Reed.
Bryce is a well-known actor famous for his parts in movies such as Jurassic World and The Help. On the other hand, Paige started her movie career in 2009 with the film Adventureland. She has also been in other films like The Employer and Collection.
Reed is a professional golfer and Paige’s twin sister Jocelyn is very private.
The secret to longevity
As they approach their 49th anniversary on June 7, the Emmy Award-winning producer reveals that the key to their lasting love is “communication.”
Howard shared with People, “When people ask, ‘How did you manage that?’ I tell them there’s no special method. The key is communication. You really need to know how to talk and handle tough discussions in a positive way. Also, there’s a bit of luck involved because sometimes people just connect and sometimes they don’t, and you can’t really make that happen.”
